Physically Challenged Women lament lack of male suitors for marriage

--Seek political parties' waiver for elective positions 

By: Idris Umar Momoh

Mar 29, 2022

The Women's Wing of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Edo State on Tuesday lamented the lack of male suitors willing to have them in matrimonial homes.

The women's wing made the remarks at a press conference in Benin City to mark the 2022 International Women's Day with the theme, "Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow", sponsored by JONAPWD, Edo State Chapter.

Ann Ojugo, chairperson of the association in the state lamented that the physically challenged persons especially the women lived their whole life with the title of miss.

According to her, most physically challenged women  live their whole life with the title of 'miss' even in their 50s, 60s, 80s because they are so discriminated that men don't think of marrying them.

"How many men can take the bold step to marry physically challenged woman"?she queried.

 Ojugo also  decried the rising cases of discrimination in homes, workplaces  and marriages against physically challenged women.

She noted that physically challenged women  find it difficult to get men to marry them due to their respective conditions.

She, however,  urged political parties to consider offering waiver for them in the forthcoming 2023 general elections so as to have more physically challenged persons in elective positions and be part of the decision-making process in governance. 

"I am so much interested in ensuring people with disabilities are included in political activities. I believe that if a person with disabilities is well known in the party and can deliver, the discrimination should not be there. Honestly speaking, we don't have the money to sponsor persons with disabilities. 

"The government can sponsor physically challenged persons to make sure they get to where they are going to. It is high time that physically challenged persons takes part in politics. They should vote and be voted for. 

"We want to enjoin our women to  involve themselves in politics because very soon, we shall be having local government elections in the state and we want women to take part", she said. 

Ojugo, however, disclosed  that they decided to celebrate the women's day on a  date different from the March 8 set aside to commemorate the international women's day because women with disabilities were sidelined from the activities scheduled during the period.

"The event was celebrated March 8 but most women in Nigeria who marked the day didn't remember to invite us. You can hardly find physically challenged women among them. So, we decided to celebrate ours on another day.

"More so, we were also affected by lack of finance because we needed money to facilitate the transport of members from across the 18LGAs.

"Women were busy organising programs, while we, physically challenged women were not included. There are discrimination from all ramifications. Our challenges are enormous. 

"Women and girls with disabilities continue to suffer social and cultural discrimination amid other structural and technical barriers placed on them by the society. If you take statistics, people with disabilities who are educated are more of the men than the women. People don't train women, and it is a double tragedy for us,"she added.